


here's to unexpected endings

by patwrites



Category: The Good Place (TV)
Genre: A bit of angst but not really, F/M, Fluff, Getting Together, Happy Ending
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-02-28
Updated: 2019-02-28
Packaged: 2019-11-07 05:05:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,448
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17954126
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/patwrites/pseuds/patwrites
Summary: An insight into Michael's thoughts and feelings for Eleanor throughout the events of Season 2.This is a commission for Kaitlin Gallagher! If you want one go on my tumblr blog @jarvis-ismy-copilot and check my description for details.





	here's to unexpected endings

It wasn't supposed to be this way. Nothing was going according to plan, and Michael felt like he was on the verge of a serious mental breakdown. Vicky had taken over his plans, he was under constant scrutiny from Shawn and he felt like he was at the end of his rope. All he ever wanted was to be respected, to rise through the ranks and become an important demon in the Bad Place. But Michael had failed spectacularly, and all because of 4 puny humans who just had to become friends and better humans **each.and.every.time.they were rebooted**.

Michael didn't know whether to be angry or impressed, especially where it concerned Eleanor.

And then, there he was, begging the same aforementioned humans to help him and get him out of the dire situation he was in. Never in millennia had the demon thought he'd end up depending on humans.

Of course, the fantastic four accepted him in their midst, agreeing to play dumb for all of their sakes -more theirs than Michael's if he was honest but he would take what he could get- and to teach him about ethics. He didn't take it seriously at first, obviously, because what need would a demon have for ethics of all things? But the longer he spent in their company -Eleanor's, a voice at the back of his head whispered- and the more he reflected on himself and his life, the harder it was to remain indifferent, to not get attached.

Attachment brought with itself worry, worry that he wasn't capable of redemption, and even if he was, to what end? Hence his midlife crisis.

Through all of this, however, Eleanor had been a constant. Always by his side, ready to crack a joke or make a wiseass comment, never letting him wallow in self pity again. When he confessed how hard it was to be good to her, she hadn't mocked him like he thought she'd do. Instead, she'd given him a piece of advice and a comfort all at once - that he wasn't alone through all of this, that there was a way for him to get better.

And he did.

Now, it seemed everything was coming to an end. Shawn had decided to put an end to their Neighborhood, the four humans Michael had grown to love were to be sent to the Bad Place and be tortured forever, and Michael? He would finally get his promotion. It left a bittersweet taste in his mouth all of a sudden, and it was verging on bitter the longer he thought about it.

But he wasn't going to let it end that way. Even if it meant his long awaited promotion was going to turn into a not so wanted death sentence, he was going to save these humans if it was the last thing that he did (the probability of that being actually true hit too close to home to dwell on it).

Michael, therefore, carefully worded his roasts towards his friends, hoping against hope they'd get it. Unsurprisingly, they didn't. Now that was a bummer. He really had faith in them.

But then! Then, Eleanor was the smarty pants again and figured out his hidden message and they got away with it, safely in the train towards the Bad Place. Only now did Michael get a moment to catch his breath and ponder over his recent feelings.

He didn't want to admit it but he slowly started to realize he might love Eleanor. Of course, he loved all of them, that much he realized a while ago, but the way his chest filled with warmth and constricted at the sight of her, the way the thought of Eleanor being tortured in the Bad Place for eternity made him clench his fists and want to fight Shawn himself, the way he felt like sacrificing himself to spare her in any circumstance was the right choice, well. That wasn't something he would do or feel towards the others.

"Everything's gonna be alright, Chidi, come on! Stop worrying so much," Eleanor's voice filtered in through Michael's endless stream of thoughts (he still couldn't decide if they were good or bad) and his heart sank. There she was, beautiful as ever in that outlandish get up, those glasses only accentuating her beauty. He knew he shouldn't, but Michael felt jealous seeing her with Chidi, comforting _him_ , reassuring _him_ , looking at _him_ with those gentle blue eyes of hers.

But after all, why would she _not_ do all that for Chidi, the ever so perfect Chidi Anagonye, who'd been her love interest for so long, in so many scenarios, that Michael was beginning to question whether soulmates actually existed? Of course she would and of course she did.

Janet announced they were about to arrive so Michael rose to his feet and nervously fixed his bow tie. He was anxious about what was about to go down, knowing everything was at stake right then, but he forced down those nerves in favour of focusing on the task at hand.

"Everyone know what your roles are?" he asked once more, going over the plan again to make sure everything went smoothly. Eleanor, however, saw right through his act and right before the train came to a stop she approached him and lightly touched his forearm, perfectly manicured nails squeezing him softly to grab his attention.

"It's gonna be okay, dude, don't worry. We got this, right?" she smiled broadly, so perfect, so radiant that for a second he believed nothing could get in their way, at least not at the price of ruining that smile. Michael vowed then and there to do anything in his power to preserve that smile at any cost.

"Of course we do, Eleanor," he gave her a weak smile in return.

She wanted to say something more but the train stopped and they got off, heading inside. He left them, going on his mission to get pins for all of them to go through the portal, and Eleanor's smile was on his mind the whole time.

Michael couldn't say he hadn't expected some bumps to appear in their plan when he first told the team what they were going to do, but now that he was faced with the toughest choice anyone would ever have to do, everything was so clear to him. The demon didn't need to think about it, rationalize it or ponder over it, he just knew that he had to give Eleanor the pin, push her through the portal and sacrifice himself so that she could live another day. Her shocked and betrayed look hurt him more than words could express but he'd do it all over again if he had to.

 _"I'm sorry, Eleanor. It's the only way,"_ he thought as her body disappeared into the portal and he was left behind, about to face his worst nightmare.

As always, fate was on their side and Janet got Michael out of eternal damnation, and he was once more reunited with the group. They didn't really get a chance to breathe and talk about things for a long time after that, and then it didn't matter anyway because the humans got rebooted again and any friendship he and Eleanor might have had was gone.

Michael resolved himself to do the best he could for her anyway. Because even if she might not remember him anymore, he remembered everything about her, and he'd rather have her considering him a stranger but winning her place in the Good Place than she remembering him but being sentenced to the Bad Place.

And so he and Janet got to work.

But as Michael watched Eleanor's new -old?- life unfold, he couldn't help but think what it would be like if he were part of it too. Would anything change? Would his presence matter? Would she even like him, get along with him, be his friend at all? Or would it all mean nothing in the end because Michael was just the demon who tortured her emotionally over and over and over again and that was all he'd ever be?

He couldn't help but want to slip back into his midlife crisis period the more he thought about Eleanor. He just missed her so much, it physically pained him.

So maybe that's why he went so often on Earth. He could try and make excuses all he wanted, but the real reason he went down there so often was to catch a glimpse of her, to see the world she loved and hated so much, to be a part of what made Eleanor, well, Eleanor.

"Why didn't you ever say anything?" Eleanor murmurs now, back in the present, from where she's sitting on the couch. Her arms are resting on her knees, fingers laced together as she takes it all in. Her brows are furrowed and all Michael wants to do is make the creases on her forehead disappear.

"It was never the right moment," Michael confesses. "Either you were happy with Chidi," the name leaves an unwanted bitter taste on his tongue and Michael hates himself for it, "or everything was so hectic and I was busy trying to save your lives. It never really felt like the right moment to drop this on you."

"But why now? I've been rebooted again, you could have just not told me anything. About you, or Chidi, or anything really."

"It felt like I was lying to you, Eleanor." Michael is pacing back and forth in front of her, wringing his hands as he goes. "You may think that person was someone completely different than who you are right now, but believe me, they're one and the same. No one can take that away from you, Eleanor Shellstrop."

Eleanor is still reeling from all the information she's been fed, trying to process Michael's story corroborated by footage from their Bad Place Neighborhood days, but she doesn't seem ready to bolt or slap him, so Michael takes it as a win.

"So now what?" she asks once Michael is finally seated across from her. She looks him in the eye, those gorgeous icy irises looking at him so gently, he wants to lean over and kiss her.

"Now nothing," Michael breathes out with much difficulty. "I told you because it felt right, you don't have to do anything with this information. You can tell Chidi and get back together, or move on with your life. It's entirely up to you."

"And about the you thing?"

Michael swallows down nervously, resisting the urge to fix his damn bow tie. "You can just pretend I never told you about it."

"But do you really want that, Michael?"

He can't meet her eyes, instead examining the very interesting pattern of the carpet below. "Doesn't matter what I want, Eleanor."

"Yes, it does," she replies firmly. When he still doesn't meet her eyes she puts a finger under his chin and forces him to face her. "Hey, it matters," she reiterates, looking at him seriously, gaze not wavering in the slightest.

"It does?" he asks a little out of breath, like he's been running in a marathon for an hour straight.

"So tell me, Michael. What do you want?" Eleanor asks again, and her voice has that intimate note to it, that goes straight to Michael's heart (and crotch if he's being honest with himself here).

"I want you, Eleanor. I want to kiss you and hug you and hold you and call you mine."

It feels like a massive weight has been lifted off his shoulders as soon as the words are out and Michael finds himself not regretting them in the slightest. He's being honest with himself and with Eleanor and there's no shame in loving someone.

"Good, because I've wanted that since I first saw you and it would be a bummer if I couldn't do this," she says and leans in, hand moving from under his chin to cupping his face gently, lips colliding with Michael's in the most blissful kiss in the world.

It's the best thing he's ever experienced and Michael realizes with a start this is his first kiss. He starts laughing against his will and they have to part, both to take some air and because of his laughing fit.

Eleanor pulls away with an amused, albeit a little confused, smile and asks, "What? Why are you laughing?"

Michael calms down a little and says, "This is my first kiss," before he goes into another fit, Eleanor joining him this time. They laugh like idiots for what feels like forever but Michael doesn't mind it. Far from it. His heart feels light, his muscles relaxed, and even if his cheeks ache from being so stretched by his laughing and smiling fit, he would give anything to keep this feeling forever. It feels right, sharing this moment here with the love of his life.

"I love you, Eleanor," he catches himself saying after they've calmed down and they're staring at each other with goofy smiles, still a bit out of breath. Her eyes don't widen in surprise, her breath doesn't catch in her throat, not even a muscle twitches on her face. Her smile just gets wider, her eyes brighter and Michael feels himself falling deeper for this gorgeous, smart ass menace to society.

"I know, Michael. I love you, too."

Eleanor takes his hand in hers slowly and intertwines their fingers together, squeezing gently and looking at him with a soft face. "Can I give you your second kiss now?"

"I think you can," he nods, heart soaring with happiness. He can't say fireworks explode when their lips meet for a second time, but his stomach does seem to be filled with cockroaches was the saying? and the air does feel like it's running out quicker than it should -and he doesn't even need it to breathe.

It's not the ending Michael expected, if he's being honest with himself. But he doesn't complain when Eleanor pulls away only to circle the table separating them and climb on the sofa he's sitting on, coming as close to him as physically possible and taking his face in her hands again to kiss him thoroughly. He'd go through all of that and then some all over again if it meant it brought him to this exact same moment.

This is way better than any promotion in the Bad Place, Michael decides then, happy to be held by Eleanor like this rather than sitting at a big desk in the Bad Place with Shawn breathing down his neck.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for commissioning me, Kaitlin. I hope I didn't disappoint. 
> 
> And thank you everyone for reading. Feedback is always appreciated, and don't hesitate to hmu on tumblr @armoredavengers :D


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